With a large number of organizations undergoing or having undergone some sort of agile transformation, the potential underlying patterns of conflict within teams and individuals become important.
Drawing inspiration from Niloo Ravaei's insights regarding patterns of personal conflicts, I took the opportunity to reflect on how such patterns of conflicts arise and are resolved in the context of an agile transition process. My context is important here and is driven by my familiarity with mostly globally operated and German-led enterprises across varying industries such as pharma, healthcare, manufacturing, consumer goods, and banking. Those, typically focus on operational excellence as the primary reasoning for their change activities.
According to Niloo Ravaei, there are three patterns of conflict in individuals that derive how we perceive the conflict, behave and handle it's resolution:
- Capability-Driven Conflict: Conflicts, according to capability-based individuals, are perceived as challenges or issues that must be resolved. They frequently emphasize their ability to understand the situation and respond effectively to it. As a result, they are solution-oriented and seek to identify measures and actions that will resolve the problem. As a result, communication is extremely important to them since it allows them to discuss opinions and exchange thoughts on problems that can be amicably understood in their entirety and discover a way ahead toward a mutually acceptable solution.
- Sensitivity-Driven Conflict: In sensitivity-driven conflicts, excessive sensitivity means that confrontations are perceived as personal insults or uncomfortable situations. For such a person, the source of the conflict is frequently how the scenario makes them feel, which is triggered by a deeper sensation of being mistreated, ostracized, or threatened. It focuses on managing and expressing those sentiments, whereas resolution comes to "life" after validating one's own feelings and making a few modifications to avoid future sensitivities of this sort.
- Competition-Driven Conflict: Those who are driven by competition see conflicts as competitions or challenges with opposing forces that must be resolved or overcome. Often, the setting of the fight is associated with winning or losing against other people or a certain group. This approach to conflict involves attempting to understand the motivations of the opposing side or parties to the conflict and then planning a method for this to be either aligned toward a shared purpose or a compromise in which each party can feel that they have 'win' to some level. When a sense of cooperation or mutual gain replaces the competitive tension, resolution has occurred.
Translating to the environment Agile teams operate in:
- Capability-Driven Conflict in Agile Teams: Capability-driven conflicts are at the foundation of most agile transitions, especially in workplaces where problem-solving is emphasized (which is the majority!) Often, we are dealing with experts who care about their work. As a result, those are the conflicts we want to see more of, as long as we push others toward solving the same problem and buy-in to the same solutions.In an ideal environment, when a new practice is introduced, capability-driven individuals will focus on how they can shape their abilities and workflow so that they can transition from what they do now to what is expected of them. The way forward for them is clear communication and actionable activities to increase their capabilities within the constrains of the new framework. Where do things usually go wrong? Communication and authority. We cannot tackle an issue that we do not comprehend. Lack of openness and clarity in the problem and solution spaces can be major impediments to finding a solution. Sometimes the remedy is clear to those impacted, but they lack the authority to decide whether or not to adopt it. In extreme cases, an inappropriate solution is used because the decision-makers are not truly involved in the conflict or deem the solution provided by the experts as non-viable.
- Sensitivity-Driven Responses to Change: Typical sensitivity to change, on the other hand, might perceive the change to agile as another change that may disrupt individuals' comfort and break their routines. In the extreme, it is a threat to their power and safety. We might cluster it as "taking things too personally." At the same time, it is a very normal response that should be acknowledged and respected. With any change, there will be individuals who may feel disrespected or not valued when the mode of working, which they are used to, is suddenly considered ineffective or even obsolete. For those, the objective of conflict management will be to restore a sense of respect and value to them as individuals as well as their way of working by ensuring their feelings and contributions are heard and counted. This will bring in the sensibility and inclusiveness of the whole agile transformation process.
- Competition in the Face of Agile Collaboration: Competition-driven team members may see their status or expertise undermined by the sharing and cross-functionality that agile imparts. For instance, in the highly structured setting of many large firms where tradition abounds to make positions clear and distinct, agile's focus on the team rather than on individual performances may rub some people the wrong way, making them feel like they are in the shadow or are underrated. For example, that can manifest in an expert pushing back on the idea of supporting other team members and focusing merely on their own individual contribution. Alternatively, it can also be previously recognized managerial roles that struggle with the power shift and distribution of decision making power. Thus, they are pushing their veto power on the team or keeping information scattered to maintain a sense of control.In order to resolve these conflicts, the organization needs to inspire a sense of unity and shared goals, such as making sure that agile success appears to be a victory rather than a contest for individual honors.
Navigating Agile Conflicts with Empathy and Understanding
Empathy and understanding of people's psyches and team dynamics will be critical success factors in dealing with conflicts throughout an agile transformation. As a result, the organization would be in a better position to rally its members more productively and harmoniously in an agile environment by recognizing and managing the specific needs and triggers driven by its members, such as capability, sensitivity, or competition. These capability issues can be best addressed through regular group and individual retrospectives, which include open communication and allowing for criticism.
Reflecting on that... where do you see yourself and your organization? What is the balance of individuals in your organization?
